Amid The Cracks In Mirrors
by PhoenixOfSolarFire
Summary: When a horrific accident tears apart a seemingly normal family in Krimson City, the eldest Hathaway daughter is admitted to the Beacon Mental Hospital under false pretenses. Little does she know what will be set into motion and now she is part of an even bigger scandal. If she survives, it would be the tale of a lifetime.
1. Chapter 1: Silence

**Hey guys! It's been quite some time since I've been active here. While I do have intentions to finish my Wolf Children story, right now I need to try something else. Recently I have played the Evil Within, and I love it to pieces! It took me back to my days playing Silent Hill and Resident Evil which was awesome. So, that is why I am going to try my hand at the horror genre and write a fic. Hope you all will enjoy exploring with me! **

**If you didn't catch it in the little idk what it's called? Imma call it a tag on the main search page; I love Ruvik. I don't know what it was about him as his character is not all that original but something about it literally gave me the chills. I also like crazy scientist characters which is what he kinda was. At least on the surface. I will, I guess be simultaneously exploring his character a bit and how I would see him along the way so it may jump between POV's. **

**Regardless! I have done enough babbling I think it is time we move on yes?**

**Enjoy!**

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_Patient 171 : _

_Everett L. Hathaway_

_Female_

_16_

_120lbs 5ft 4in._

_Brunette, Pale skin, Light Brown eyes_

_Admitted by family after an 'incident' in the home, homicidal tendencies, rage and anger uncontrollable, cannot distinguish between right and wrong, has an unhealthy obsession with setting things on fire. Refuses to speak of the incident or her siblings. Has signs of Anti-social Personality Disorder._

_Refuses to speak to anyone._

_Will proceed with treatment._

_Notes:_

_1/6/10_

_Her arrival here at the hospital was quite unorthodox. Following the events of the trial, the accident at the family home I find it strange the law gave her up to Beacon. The facilities that are normally host to the vermin, pestilence of the world is no place for the common offender. However, within the accusations of the family, and 171's refusal to speak it is not hard to see why the charges passed so easily. Regardless, 171 will be housed within the juvenile ward. Testing and questioning will commence within three days' time._

_1/10/10_

_It proves to be difficult to gaze at the picture in her file, let alone the moment I saw her seated in the room across the way from Jimenez. Those eyes, that hair, it reminds me of you my dearest Laura. For a brief moment, it was as if you had returned to me but alas my mind plays tricks yet again. My eyes fail me. And while they have cut her hair to nothing but shaggy locks of deepest brown, the uncanny appearance is all the same. _

_Must this haunt me?_

_1/15/10_

_Patient refuses to address questions regarding the accident and trial. 171 shows defiance against Jimenez and the lead doctors at the hospital. Refuses to speak in general and will not write the answers down on paper despite the attempts of many to get her to do so. She is a stubborn one. _

_1/23/10_

_171 has still refused to speak. Every attempt has proven void, now 171 has taken to ignoring the presence of the other nurses and doctors in the sessions. Her eyes are always fixed on the one way mirror from which behind I observe the spectacle. Those eyes, autumn like in nature are always fixed sturdy as if she knew. It is not hard to see it now. 171 is not the common patient, nor does she exhibit signs from any of the reports as of yet. _

_One thing is for certain, she is always thinking. _

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Did they not understand?

Obviously they didn't.

Of course they didn't.

With her arms securely restrained in cusps of the arm of a metal chair, she focused not on the agitated doctor in front of her but the mirror to her right. These people had no idea what they were talking about, let alone what had happened. She'd tried so hard to tell the police, the investigators but everything had been stacked against her. It was all _his_ doing; she felt it in her gut. The man her mother had called husband, but yet he was nowhere near her Father, and Everett refused to acknowledge him even as a step.

He was the kind of man to dislike children from another's loins; and while he had had her mother in the throes of love and lust, her children suffered greatly while she wore rose tinted glasses. It was her job as the eldest to protect her siblings, and protect she tried. But none of that mattered anymore; the truth was hidden in murky lies painted by the man who took everything away from her. Jail wasn't enough, was it? He had to send her here, into the heart of madness where he himself should have resided. The mental hospital had always been the subject of rumor in school. Kids had always held a morbid fascination with things as such, and the media did nothing to stop it. Games, movies, depicting horrific scenes of gore and abuse only furthered her silence.

Besides, no one would listen.

It would only prove to toss her further down the rabbit hole and into a pile of shit.

"Everett! Everett!" The man called across the table, desperately trying to grab her attention. "You need to answer the question" It almost sounded threatening, perhaps even so was the fact she could feel the anger rising in the older male like a tidal wave going to strike the calm shore.

Tearing her eyes from the mirror, her apathetic gaze turned back to Jimenez as his name tag read, and yet her mouth did not falter once. Her lips were placed into a thin line of defiance. His hands clenched into fists before one came to grasp the bridge of his nose in a deep sigh. "Will you at least write the answers down on a piece of paper?" He slid the white sheet across the table, a pencil then after. Only then did he move to unclasp her from the confines of the chair.

But Everett didn't budge. Staring straight forward she ignored the paper like he had never done a thing. She would have laughed at his irritation, really she would have. Inside she found it quite comical. After five minutes of silence, Jimenez slammed his hands on the table and called in one of the nurses. He pushed his way out of the small green room, disappearing out of sight for the day. The nurse had come to stand beside her, gently placing a hand around her upper arm. To be honest, they were probably one of the only good things this place had going. The ones that tended to her often were kind, hardworking, and talkative even though they all knew she wouldn't respond. It put her at ease, of only a little.

Her room was towards the middle of one of the hallways. It was small, but strangely comfortable for a mental hospital. It felt…normal to say the least. An attempt to give the patients a little bit of continuity perhaps? Her brother, Liam had given her several posters and pictures he'd drawn. Hung up on the walls they covered the off white wall paper where her desk was. Everett missed him greatly; her heart would ache as if cut apart at the thought of what that monster was doing to him now. Without her there, would he suffer? Without her there, would he be alright? And Colin…

Tears pricked at her eyes but they dared not fall. The door behind her shut and locked, leaving her alone in dark thoughts. If only she'd moved fast enough, maybe she would have seen the difference between…it was so foggy and hazy, the dark was so hard to traverse it really was an honest mistake…

No one believed her though. No one would.

Would, after all, would believe the girl who snapped?

The one who used to get into trouble with the law prior?

The one who didn't know how to vent the emotions she pent up?

No one would.

No one cared.

No one was going to come get her.

Everett accepted that the day the sentence was passed and instead of jail she was sent here. The car ride over had been so silent, in the back of a police car handcuffed like an animal. She could still recall the investigator's face, gruff and stern. He looked like the kind of man who drank or smoked, perhaps to drown out the deaths of those around him? Surely as a detective, you had to witness multiple causalities. He seemed nice, in that jack ass way, off handed comments here and there about how she'd fucked up. But then again, it struck him as odd when she didn't speak, even to him.

Everett hadn't spoken since that night and she highly doubted it would ever happen again. She wished her vocals away, would rot in her throat. Perhaps she'd wake up one morning with her lips sewn shut and her tongue ripped out? Her feet moved to the side of the small bed, crawling onto it as it squeaked. The window high above her was her only light, dim and gloomy signifying rain had come again to Krimson City.

As she drifted between sleep and awake, her mind wandered far. _The school must be _abuzz_ with what happened_, she thought, _all those idiots thinking I am some sort of psycho. _Her mind could almost trick her into thinking she could hear their whispers from where she lay. One thing was for sure, if she ever did get out of here (though it was highly unlikely a girl can still hope ) there was no way in hell she'd ever return to the city. She'd imagine taking the train or a flight out of here, finding a new city a new home, and living as a common person.

But that was mere fantasy. Reality was, she was now living amidst the cracks of mirrors and in the very place where scary stories began.

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**Well, hope you liked the first chapter! Hope to work on this a lot because I am already loving it. Please! Fell free to review, post comments, or PM me what I can improve! I love feedback. **


	2. Chapter 2: Ivory Dancing

She could hardly say it had been a good night's sleep. Even her first night here was awful, filled with nothing but the sounds of those across and down the hall. On either side of her the patients like herself were prone to screaming out from night terrors. It would have not affected her save for the fact the metal walls seemed to radiate even the slightest of sounds. Everett would toss, turn, through her pillow over her head in hopes that it would drown out some of the sound. It must have worked a little; she did recall falling into sleep and waking the next morning feeling tired.

She recalled the same sort of grogginess from her school days that seemed so far off. It had only been a couple months since her admittance to Beacon and yet strangely enough it seemed as if she'd been here for ages. A word had not slipped from her mouth since, earning her the title of willingly mute among some of the staff. Everett didn't really care, like usual she only focused on herself. She had to, if she was ever going to figure out how to live in such a place, in such a state. A nurse had come to her door, Tatiana if she remembered correctly. "You awake, Everett?"

She shuffled to her feet and nodded slightly in response.

"Good, good" she heard the tumblers in the lock click "Come on, it's a social day today. No tests"

That was a relief to her to say the least. These 'social' days were usually what kept her, ironically enough, sane. The 'tests' were nothing but doctors like Jimenez yelling at her in frustration of her self-served silence. Perhaps, they were actually beginning to think she was mute? The recent testing was all but coloring what she felt. Everett agreed, if only because she was tired of staring at the mirror and wondering who was staring back. She'd been blessed with a high intuition, a self-aware sixth sense almost. She knew when someone was watching, she knew when something was going to happen. Her body picked up on tension like it was a magnet.

The place was infested with it.

Her arm was gently placed in the grasp of the nurse, guiding her down the hallway like always. Everett could walk perfectly fine; however, there was no trusting these patients. Some of them she'd seen were like rabid animals and some were as delicate as newly bloomed flora. It was intriguing and weird all the same. She kept to herself as most did, but there were always a few poking their nose in what she was doing. All it took was a glare and most of the time the other patients in the juvenile ward kept away. She was lead to the rather large room centered in the middle of the ward she was in, various things for the patients to do scattered about. A piano, a guitar, paper and paint, a TV and a stack of DVD's that were out of date. Immediately, she pulled away from the nurse and claimed the piano as her own.

The others had yet to come out of their rooms, as staff for the weekend was usually low. So for the meantime, Everett was happy the room was empty. Her fingers brushed across the ivory before she sat down. It pained her to look at the instrument every time she wanted to play. But more often than not, she could only sit there and look at it. A couple times some of the Doctors and Nurses asked or even encouraged her to play but her fingers wouldn't budge. Today though, in her moments of solidarity, she pressed down on one of the keys.

It was slightly out of tune, but not bad enough to bother her. It rang like a pin pricked angelic voice throughout the room, bouncing back into her own ears. It made the faintest smile come to her tattered dry lips and she took a seat on the bench soon after. Her hands rested lightly on the black and white teeth of the instrument before she took in a deep, steady breath. Almost as if by memory, she began to play a sad melodic tune. It was in these moments she lost herself, forgetting that she was prisoner in such a place surrounded by padded walls and strait jackets, unstable humans and those who couldn't even be classified as such. Her eyes shut, and it was if she were back at home.

Beside her sat her mother, all dolled up like she had always been. Russet hair curling down passed her shoulders, her blouse decorated around the edges with silken embroidery. Her smile told Everett to continue, and she helped keep time with her smooth calm voice. Her younger brothers were in the back watching with wide curious eyes as their sister played and played and played…

"Moonlight Sonata—Beethoven"

The voice nearly caused Eve to leap from her skin. The music came to a crunching halt as she slammed her palms into the keys out of bewilderment, searching for the source of the words.

"I didn't know you were capable of playing"

He stood in the far end by the door, dressed in a white top. Over it was the long lab coat that most doctors wore. She could hardly see his face behind the mesh of white bandages that covered most of his visible skin. She stared at him, long and hard, as if studying him. Was he some other new doctor? What happened? Was he the new specialist they kept threatening to bring in if she didn't speak?

"Please, do go on"

Blinking, all she could do was form a glare that contorted her face. It made him smirk, if only a little, as she could see the movement of the bandages round his lips. He moved a little closer, slowly as if not to startle her and came to sit next to her on the bench. He motioned with his hands for her to continue, and she watched him warily from the corners of her eyes.

_The only reason I will continue you prick, is because I want to freaking play. _

Her hands flexed her fingers before they began to dance over the keys in a different tune and song. It was something she'd taught herself over the years, from a movie she'd seen in younger years. It was a short song, but she managed to loop it to continue to play its rather sad melody. Through crescendo and decrescendo she went, and he seemed intrigued at how she worked as if he wanted to pick apart her mannerisms just by sitting and watching her play. Unnerving would be the best way to describe it, however, Everett continued on trying her best to ignore the pest at her side.

"You have talent here that much is undeniable" He muttered over the music at a low point "Did you teach yourself?"

She shook her head.

"Still playing the silent game I see" He took a deep breath "I have heard much about you from Jimenez" He continued as she continued "You give him quite the headache."

She tried to hide the smile that wanted so desperately to dance across her features at the comment. Call her immature, but Everett didn't exactly learn to respect authority or much less the opposite gender.

"I see you find that statement amusing"

A slight nod as her fingers came to the end, thinking of what to play next. A slightly more upbeat song began to play in the room. She couldn't explain why, but the aura around this individual was unlike any one else here. He seemed so confidant and calm and it radiated into the room and into her making her equally so. It was almost toxic.

"You do know Everett, if you cooperate with the good Doctors here things would be much less stressful on both ends"

_Is that your idea of a threat?_

She just shrugged.

He snorted a little, "Stubborn as ever. Hopefully, your vocal chords won't be too weak when you decide to speak again" He stood, "I imagine I will see you again, especially if you continue pretending to be a mute" Dismissing himself with such a sentence had to make her stop and watch him leave. _What the hell?_ She blinked, and he left through the door moments before the other patients came wafting in. They all did what they normally did, some sticking to quiet art while others fought over miniscule things. The sad reality was, most in the room had a very low I.Q and more often than not functioned like second graders or preschoolers. She almost pitied them really, felt sorry that their parents dropped them off in such a place.

_Probably because they couldn't handle it-cowards_

Movement caught her eye, and a young boy perhaps around her own age was looking at her with curiosity in his dull eyes. His hands rubbed together as he shuffled a little closer, waddling almost in a comical manner. "Play, play, play" He muttered "Play, play, pretty, song -song -song"

She glanced around, eyeing the others. A sigh escaped her lips, and she motion with her head for him to come sit. She'd seen this one before, all alone usually. His speech was miniscule at best but it was fine. She'd rather him repeat a word than carry on about the various other things the patients did. Better yet, the doctors—it was almost a welcome relief. He came and sat down beside her and she couldn't help but let a smile take hold of her features. She began with a simple one, twinkle twinkle little star and he hummed along off key.

A sort of bond had begun to form between them over the course of the weeks that passed. He, to Everett was like the brothers she so dearly missed. She'd been told the promise of a visit but day by day no word or even sight of them came. She should have known better, that man would never allow her to see him after what she did—what _he_ did. It was too risky on his part.

Leslie as she soon found out was one of the most harmless patients of the bunch. He often took to sitting by her side now, watching her fingers flow over ivory keys and humming along the best that he could. He was breaking down the tough barrier that she'd put up months ago, but then again, he reminded her so much of her siblings. Even with slow, repetitive speech, his company hardly ever grew old.

"Eve-eve" he tugged at her sleeve when she'd stopped playing; pointing to the piano once her attention was back on him "play-play"

He never minded her silence either. While everyone around her tried and tried to get her to speak Leslie seemed to be the only one who appreciated the fact that she didn't _want_ to, he stuck to his usual routine.

"Alright Everett, Leslie" came the cool tones of the nurse's voice. The two hadn't realized the others had been escorted back to their rooms. "It's time to head back"

He stood first and shuffled his way over, only stopping and waiting for her to come to his side. And she did, like usual. Eve huffed out a sigh as they were escorted back, locked in adjacent cells for the hundredth time. Outside the sun was setting casting shadows along her room in the colors of fire. Her bed was a mess with paper and drawing utensils, walls even more decorated now that she'd had plenty of time to do whatever she really wanted. Aside from being watched like a hwk by doctors, nurses and…

_He never gave me a name_

Her thoughts went back to the man prior. How peculiar he was, it boggled her mind. He was unlike most of the doctors she'd met, and yet there was something to the pale eyes that stood out amid the bandages that told her of his intelligence. He had carried himself like a noble would—or those kids at school who had been richer than the rest. The prep, private school kids with aristocracy to them. And to think she almost was one of those at some point-_psh_

Regardless, an undying curiosity seemed to grow in her mind to the point it almost robbed her of sleep. Sleep she very much wished she could have partaken in.

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_Notes:_

_3/26/10_

_171 continues to be relentless in her determination to drive the staff at the hospital up a wall. The irritation in Jimenez is undeniable, and she pushes most of the other doctors to their limits. She is an intriguing subject. For her to have held out this long proves she's more intelligent than initially thought or reported. A revaluation of her I.Q. should be established. _

_4/15/10_

_I had a moment to approach 171 one on one. She still refused to speak, however, there was an acknowledgement to the words I had said. She seemed to take delight in the fact that Jimenez and the other grew annoyed with her. Perhaps it is due to the fact she is still in the juvenile years. Perhaps it is simply her personality. She shows talent with a piano, and allowed me to approach her without faltering in her playing. Though the wariness was well deserved and warranted on her part. Perhaps we are going about this all wrong?_

_6/1/10_

_Jimenez thinks 171 is a lost cause. He does not see the potential in her as I do. Behind those eyes is a highly functioning consciousness that might be just what we were looking for. She shows an exceptional level of cognitive function, passing the tests we through at her as if they were simply for play and in record time._

_6/3/10_

_I find her more and more intriguing as time passes. With each day her defenses wear a little thinner, and the real personality shines through. I have been informed by the nurses that a growing bond with the patient 23 has helped with breaking the barrier. I have observed interactions between the two, and there is undeniably a protective spirit within 171. It harkens back to you my dearest Laura, even as time passes I cannot unsee the resemblances. However, there is enough difference to tell my mind that she is not you and she is herself. She is a separate entity, and I am simply losing my grip on reality or so it feels. She dances along the ivory like you had taught me once and my heart cannot help but ache. Perhaps, I shall pay her another visit. _

_if only to smooth over my aching soul._

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**Hoped you all enjoyed! Again, let me know what you think and feel free to give me any tips/hints/corrections if I did mess something up. For instance I cannot for the life of me remember what year it all takes place in so I gave it a random one. Sorry if it is incorrect! 3**


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